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TO GO WITH STORY BY KARIM LEBHOUR An Ethiopian skater, part of the Ethioskate organization, performs in the Bole area of Addis Ababa on March 2, 2015. Swerving around potholes and speeding through chaotic traffic makes skateboarding the crowded streets of Ethiopia’s capital a risky game. Yet this sport once unknown in Addis Ababa is attracting fans and the support of skateboarders worldwide. AFP PHOTO / ZACHARIAS ABUBEKER (Photo credit should read ZACHARIAS ABUBEKER/AFP/Getty Images) ZACHARIAS ABUBEKER/AFP/Getty Images
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Ethiopia Skate

gives the globe a new visual backdrop for the sport

Clinton Yates @clintonyates

Up Next From Sports

    7:00 AMYou don’t typically think of Addis Ababa and skateboarding as “natural” partners, but thanks to Ethiopia Skate, they are. Their entire operation is pretty incredible, because while skateboarding is a full-blown industry, in East Africa we’re still in the infantile growth stages. Volunteers, donated equipment, the whole scene is still super grassroots.

    From a style standpoint, what’s particularly fascinating is to watch people skate with a backdrop that’s so different from what we’re used to. Be it the United States, South America, Australia or Europe, the visual vocabulary of each place, while varied within themselves, is still somewhat similar. Africa presents a whole other landscape palette that is extremely appealing.

    “We use skateboarding as a means of building confidence, encouraging individual creativity, and making community,” their mission statement says. “We vision that children from all backgrounds can come together to have access to skateboarding equipment and free skateboard facilities and this community can ensure that all members have the means of education and healthy living.”

    It’s about more than just tricks or transportation. It’s about family.

    Clinton Yates is a tastemaker at Andscape. He likes rap, rock, reggae, R&B and remixes — in that order.